Ebola – France’s support for the authorities of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (July 30, 2014)

France has been mobilized since the beginning of the crisis, in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the authorities of the concerned countries. It is providing technical support and expertise to contain the epidemic. Our embassies, particularly in Guinea (which also has jurisdiction for Sierra Leone) and Liberia, are in close contact with the health monitoring and care facilities established in each of those countries.

France particularly supports the high-security mobile laboratory project implemented by Inserm in partnership with the Pasteur and Mérieux Institutes. This lab makes it possible to safely and more accurately diagnose outbreaks. It will supplement the facilities already in place, particularly the Pasteur Institute’s laboratory in Dakar as well as a European laboratory. It receives funding from the European Commission.

In Guinea-Conakry, an expert from the Pasteur Institute will soon join the Guinean health authorities. This is the fifth mission by a French expert to the Guinean Health Ministry since the epidemic broke out.

At our request, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) sent a specialized team to Liberia to set up a center equipped with protection kits for healthcare workers.

At the end of the week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development will host a meeting of all French actors to review the situation and the risks, and to determine additional measures, in close consultation with the WHO.

In March, travel advisories for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, as well as neighboring countries, indicated this health risk and provided information on the virus. On its first page, the Ministry’s "Conseils aux voyageurs" website highlights health recommendations and offers advice in the event that symptoms should appear.

France is also working actively with its European partners. In this regard, the European humanitarian agency ECHO released 1.9 million euros in emergency assistance and dispatched experts to the area.